Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1887-01-08
ON A "HOODOOED' ROAD.

by a Phantom Horscman.
Along the western bank Of the Mis-
souri, river, en- the road leading be-
tween the military posts of Fort Abra-
ham Lincoln and Fort Yates, says a
Bismarck, ID. T., correspondent of the
Globc-Democrat, is "a phantom which
appears to certain travellers whenever
they make the trip over what they are
pleased to call the '.hoodooed road"
The route is n Of long standing, hav-'
ing been established by the Indians
long before the whites invaded the
country, and now it is an important
road for travel.
The phantom which has appeared to
several prominent citizens was last
seen by Lieutenant Brennan, Of
Fort Yates. He was en- route
from Yates to this city, and while
driving along at a point near the Can
non Ball station he saw a man coming
behind him on horseback. AT first he
paid little attention to the object. The
moon was shining brightly, and there
was no reason for him TO be mistaken
IN what he saw. After travelling about
q mile, with the horseman keeping
about a quarter of a milo behind him,
he stopped to await the arrival Of the
stranger that he might ascertain who
- ,.rAn sL.A f,lll..,I -. -
the monotony Of his trip with the con
versation Of 3 travelling companion.
Upon looking back he discovered that
the horseman was dressed in a pure
white uniform and WAS riding a spot
less white horse.
The elegant style, the graceful mo
ton Of the horse and the noiseless step
with which the animal was galloping
down the road aroused the l%ieutenant's
curiosity, and he waited and listened
several minutes for the arrival of the
stranger. His suspicion that every
thing was not right was awakened
when the horseman failed TO answer
his call. Several times he called, but
no answer came from the white robed
equestrian, and having given the silent
Traveller ample time to overtake HIM he
drove on. What first occasioncd alarm
in the %lieutenant's mind was the fact
that while the strange white horse con
tinued in a galloping motion after he
(the l%ieutenant) stopped the distance
between them was not shortened.
Whistling a lively air and OCCASION
ally breaking in with a CHEEKY army
song TO drive away the blues, the lieu
tenant drove on, frequently casting his
eye over his shoulder to see if the
horsemran was coming, and always find
ing that his pursuer o. follower was
keeping his distance with remarkable
accuracy. Wearying of his monoton-
Gus procedure, and wishing to gain a
good lead on the sulky fellow traveller
before he reached the lonliest spot in
the road. which he was now approach
ing; he applied the whip and started
his speedy team on the run. On he
went at a furious rate for several miles,
when, just as he was descending the
hill into Lonely Coulec. he looked back,
and there was the white horse
man within Il few rods of HIM, coming
AiiC VIM, ia WIN lHt WFiStitSS
grace of a zephyr. The lieutenant was
now pretty thoroughly frightened, and
he used the whip more vehemently than
ever, Down the Hill his army ambu-
lance roared and ratified, and his ami
mails took the bits for n genuine runa-
way. With crash and bound and fear
full speed the ambulance was snatched
|. down the hill, around sharp curves
and over the rickety bridge which
spanned the murmuring creek. Here
the lieutenant's description Of the scene
was thrilling and poetic. The moon
light on the ripping surface of the
creek formed wierd, fantastic shapes.
and as his nerves were strung to the
most sensitive pitch, the eve of his inn
agination saw COLLINS and fairies and
witches dancing about on the sparkling
stream, whose every gurgle was a
mockins taunt from the strange, I'M
welcome children Of his feverish brain.
But here is where the climax of his
fear and horror was reached. As the
pale horscman drove down the hill
like 4 meteor, and while the lieutenant
was crossing the bridge at as great a
speed as his spirited animals could at
tain, the ghostly phantom passed him.
Now, for the first time, did the appari-
ton make Il noise, but it made up for
lost time in this respect, as the len
tenant says that here the noise was
deafening. As the phantom came down
the hill after him it seemed that a
thousand horses were galloping down
a wooden pavement, and when it
struck the bridge the uproar was like
the rattle of q thousand wheels. On
the center Of the bridge the snowy
horse and rider swept by him like a
flash, and the air was filed with shrill
demoniac laughter. On it went, the
dazed and awe-strickcn lieutenant
watching it as it vanished from view
This is the experience OF one of the
bravest officers of Fort Yates, and the
same apparition appeared on this road
several years ago to Alexander Nc
Kcnzie, sheriff of this county, end the
most widely known citizen of the ter
ritory. In the case Of Mr.. Mckenzie